Yesterday, I took my two older kids (ages 6 and 9) to see their first professional musical - The Grinch - performed at the Old Globe in San Diego's Balboa Park. It was a terrific performance; excellent cast, wonderful set-design, live orchestra, and good costuming. My girls were mesmerized...enraptured...enthralled. In short, it was a wonderful experience; But it cost a whopping $165 ($55 dollars a ticket * 3 tickets) for the cheapest available seats!
My general spending rule, especially where the kids are involved is to spend money on experiences rather than stuff. Spending centers on music lessons, gymnastic, camps, and on toys like Lego's, puzzles, and Snap-circuits, where we spend hours build things together.
So circling, back on point...professional theater, musicals & concerts are wonderful & memorable experiences - and it feels good to support the arts - but they are also quite expensive. How do you, fellow Mustachian, approach these expenses?
My conclusion is that I should spend more liberally...theater simply falls in a different category then restaurant spending by providing a truly memorable experience and soul-fulfilling experience. Budgeting for one performance a quarter (~$600 year) seems worth the spend. What are your thoughts? How much do you spend on attending performing arts (or on live sporting evens if that's your thing)?